But here's a little taste.
One feature of the Retreat is the stash lounge. We bring our unloved and unwanted yarn (books, patterns, magazines, needles) and leave them for anybody who wants to give them a good home.
This year I was ruthless when I went through my stash. This might be a sign of some yarn maturity. When I didn't know any better, I'd impulsively buy yarn with no thought about what I could do with it. This often resulted in odd amounts. Not enough for a sweater--but too much for a shawl. Or I'd buy yarn for a shawl or sweater and then find out the yarn was just too. . . itchy, soft, warm, fibery, slick, dull, thin, thick, twisty for me. And so it sat. Perfectly fine yarn but unloved and unwanted.
This is what I brought to the stash lounge:
Over the weekend, I kept checking the lounge to see which yarns I had brought were gone. By Sunday morning, I saw nothing of mine in the stash lounge anymore. All went to knitters who would appreciate them.
I'm also happy to report that I added very little to my yarn stash. Here's the yarn that followed me home. Of these skeins, only three were bought either at WEBS or at the Retreat's marketplace. All the others were in my Retreat goody bag. YES, you see Socks that Rock and YES that was in the goody bag!
Please don't think I'm currently yarn-deprived. I'm not. Here's the state of my stash right now. Only loved and hoped-to-be-used yarn remains.
And dare I make the promise that I'm starting a yarn diet? Only knit from the stash OR if yarn is bought, it's for a specific project. Something to think about.
5 comments:
Glad I read this before I hit the "submit order" button for a yarn order. Think I go over it again to see what I really need. On the upside, I'll finish a shawl today and hopefully a scarf tomorrow. So some of it does get used!
Mary, I cannot tell you how much I'm with you on this one ... as you well know, I've got more yarn in my stash than any stick could be shaken at ;o)
My promise to myself is that I'm finishing everything that's just been sitting around, and NOT (repeat NOT) even stepping into a LYS. So far, it's been extremely liberating, and I have a feeling I can keep this up for quite a while ...
good for you, and I'm sure we'll bump into each other around the nabe!
Good advice! My stash is so daunting, I get depressed thinking about it. Congrats on weeding through yours. Love your new additions!
Earlier this year I passed on some yarn to a friend that I didn't love anymore. I was happy to do so.
Say no to the yarn diet! Just be really thoughtful about your purchases.
Interesting post on what you can be knitted. May it be a shawl or sweater, with the right type and colors of yarn, it may look as good as it feels wearing it. Thanks for the post.
Post a Comment